VOA慢速英语2021--美国教授因“慰安妇”说法面临批评

An American professor is facing criticism after suggesting that Korean women kept as sex slaves in wartime Japan willingly took part in sex work.

Harvard University professor J. Mark Ramseyer made the claims in a recently published paper. His arguments reject a wide body of research finding that so-called "comfort women" in Japan were forced to work as sex workers during World War II.

Historians say tens of thousands of women from around Asia -- many of them Korean -- were sent to military brothels to provide sex to Japanese soldiers during the war.

In the 1990s, women began speaking publicly about how they had been taken to "comfort stations" and forced to provide sexual services. They have shared their experiences of rape¹ and abuse.

Ramseyer, however, argues that the women willingly entered into contracts as sex workers. His paper has intensified² a political dispute between Japan and South Korea. South Korean leaders have long urged Japan to offer apologies and damages to the victims of sex slavery.

Both North and South Korea have spoken out against Ramseyer's paper. Hundreds of scholars have signed letters condemning³ the paper, which was published online in December.

The paper was supposed to appear in the March issue of the International Review of Law and Economics. But the publication suspended the issue and released an "expression of concern," saying the piece is under investigation⁴.

Ramseyer is a professor of Japanese legal studies at Harvard Law School. He did not provide comments to Associated Press reporters.

Historians have raised major concerns about Ramseyer's research. Scholars at Harvard and other universities have examined his sources and say there is no historical evidence of the sex worker contracts he describes.

Harvard historians Andrew Gordon and Carter Eckert have called for the article to be withdrawn⁵. "We do not see how Ramseyer can make credible⁶ claims ... about contracts he has not read," the two said in a statement.

Alexis Dudden is a historian of modern Japan and Korea at the University of Connecticut. She said the article ignores many years of research.

Although some have pointed⁷ to freedom of scholarship to defend Ramseyer, Dudden argued that the article "does not meet the requirements of academic integrity." She added: "It's very clear from his writing and his sources that he has never seen a contract."

More than 1,000 economists⁸ have signed a letter condemning the paper. The letter said the article misuses⁹ economic theory "as a cover to legitimize horrific atrocities¹⁰." A separate group of historians on Japan issued a 30-page paper calling for the article to be withdrawn.

At Harvard, hundreds of students signed a letter demanding that Ramseyer apologize and calling on the university to answer the accusations¹¹ against him.

A United Nations report from 1996 found that comfort women serving as sex slaves were taken through "violence" and "coercion¹²." A statement from Japan in 1993 admitted that women were taken "against their own will," although the nation's leaders later denied it.

In South Korea, activists¹³ denounced Ramseyer and called for his resignation. Chung Young-ai, South Korea's minister of gender¹⁴ equality and family, criticized the paper last week. She called it "an attempt to distort (the facts about) the Japanese military's ‘comfort women.'"

Words in This Story

brothel – n. a place where people pay to have sex

comfort – n. a state or feeling of being less worried, upset, frightened, etc., during a time of trouble or emotional pain

source – n. someone or something that provides what is wanted or needed

credible – adj. able to be trusted or believed

scholar – n. someone who has studied a subject and knows a lot about it

integrity – n. honesty and the ability to do or know what is morally right

legitimize – v. to make something legal or acceptable

atrocity¹⁵ – n. a very cruel or terrible action

coerce¹⁶ – v. to persuade someone forcefully to do something that they are unwilling¹⁷ to do

distort – v. to change something so that it is false or wrong

1 rape   

n.抢夺，掠夺，强奸；vt.掠夺，抢夺，强奸

参考例句：

• The rape of the countryside had a profound ravage on them.对乡村的掠夺给他们造成严重创伤。
• He was brought to court and charged with rape.他被带到法庭并被指控犯有强奸罪。

2 intensified   

v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Violence intensified during the night. 在夜间暴力活动加剧了。
• The drought has intensified. 旱情加剧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 condemning   

v.（通常因道义上的原因而）谴责( condemn的现在分词 )；宣判；宣布…不能使用；迫使…陷于不幸的境地

参考例句：

• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。
• I concur with the speaker in condemning what has been done. 我同意发言者对所做的事加以谴责。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

4 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

5 withdrawn   

vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出

参考例句：

• Our force has been withdrawn from the danger area.我们的军队已从危险地区撤出。
• All foreign troops should be withdrawn to their own countries.一切外国军队都应撤回本国去。

6 credible   

adj.可信任的，可靠的

参考例句：

• The news report is hardly credible.这则新闻报道令人难以置信。
• Is there a credible alternative to the nuclear deterrent?是否有可以取代核威慑力量的可靠办法？

7 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

8 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 misuses   

n.用错，滥用( misuse的名词复数 )；误用者v.使用…不当( misuse的第三人称单数 )；把…派作不正当的用途；虐待；滥用

参考例句：

• He misuses his horses by giving them loads that are too heavy. 他给它们过重的负荷来虐待他的马。 来自互联网
• He often misuses his authority to tyrannize his underlings. 他常用手中的职权凌轹下属。 来自互联网

10 atrocities   

n.邪恶，暴行( atrocity的名词复数 )；滔天大罪

参考例句：

• They were guilty of the most barbarous and inhuman atrocities. 他们犯有最野蛮、最灭绝人性的残暴罪行。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The enemy's atrocities made one boil with anger. 敌人的暴行令人发指。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

11 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

12 coercion   

n.强制，高压统治

参考例句：

• Neither trickery nor coercion is used to secure confessions.既不诱供也不逼供。
• He paid the money under coercion.他被迫付钱。

13 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

15 atrocity   

n.残暴，暴行

参考例句：

• These people are guilty of acts of great atrocity.这些人犯有令人发指的暴行。
• I am shocked by the atrocity of this man's crimes.这个人行凶手段残忍狠毒使我震惊。

16 coerce   

v.强迫，压制

参考例句：

• You can't coerce her into obedience.你不能强制她服从。
• Do you think there is any way that we can coerce them otherwise?你认为我们有什么办法强迫他们不那样吗？

17 unwilling   

adj.不情愿的

参考例句：

• The natives were unwilling to be bent by colonial power.土著居民不愿受殖民势力的摆布。
• His tightfisted employer was unwilling to give him a raise.他那吝啬的雇主不肯给他加薪。